J. David Legan, PhD
Director of Science
David earned his Ph.D. in Food Technology from the University of Reading in the UK by modeling the ecology of mixed microbial populations, and then moved to Campden BRI in a variety of microbiological food safety research and client service roles. During that time, he was project lead for the Bacillus component of the UK’s pathogen modeling program. He moved again to Nabisco Research in New Jersey where he ran the corporate microbiology lab and developed a program of preservation technology development and microbial modeling. After the Kraft Foods acquisition, he moved to Chicago to work on Food Safety and Preservation research, and through modeling and validation studies:
- Optimized Oscar Mayer’s use of lactate and diacetate and their naturally cultured alternatives as Listeria-control agents in Ready to Eat meats
- Specified process conditions central to Oscar Mayer’s commercial launch of High Pressure Pasteurization of naturally cured RTE meats
David had responsibility for the Kraft cultures R&D group, developed a partnership to explore microwave sterilization leading to several patents, and led a program that developed an internal proprietary natural antimicrobial commercialized in several Kraft products. Technologies from his group supported approximately $4 billion in annual sales.
After years as a microbiology "client", he is now back in the "provider" role as Director of Science at Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc., by way of the Covance Food Solutions group based in Madison, WI, which he joined in 2016. In this role, he ensures appropriate method validation, explores new testing technologies, and fields multiple complicated food microbiology questions.
Products that his team has evaluated or developed and launched include:
- The 3M MDS platform in the Madison microbiology laboratory
- Flow cytometry for enumeration of probiotics
- Strain-level confirmation of probiotic identification using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
- Next-generation sequencing using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies GridION sequencing platform for microbial identification and microbiome analysis
Below are resources from David:
Join Eurofins Senior Staff Scientist, Lukas Vaclavik, for a discussion about per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the food industry. Original airdate July 19, 2023.
This OOS Response Guide breaks down best practices for preparation before an OOS result is received, environmental monitoring program OOS actions, product OOS actions, and follow-up actions to prevent the reoccurrence of contamination.
Company X, a leading national supplier of prepared foods, was set with their environmental monitoring program. Their plan and testing protocols were effective and efficient in collecting samples and evaluating for the organisms of concern. The problem was that they had been unable to eliminate the Listeria or trace it back to a source, so they turned to Eurofins and Rheonix.
In this presentation, Dr. DeMarco illustrates how positive pathogen results can be used to make real improvements in processes, facilitating a safer production environment with lower overall contamination risks and safer food for the consumer. Original airdate July 12, 2023.
Are you incorporating novel or upcycled protein materials in your products? This handout describes a key issue surrounding traditional determination, calculation, and labeling of two compulsory nutrients (protein & carbohydrates) in the US Nutrition Facts Panel.
In this webinar Dr. Demarco, Associate Scientific Director of Eurofins Microbiology, discusses problems from the perspective of the spice manufacturer, rapid and conventional cultural methods most commonly used when testing for pathogens in spices, issues with testing methods and most commonly used approaches to circumvent them, as well as opportunities for improvements. Original airdate April 27, 2023.
Are you incorporating novel or upcycled protein materials in your products? If so join Mollie Van Alst for this webinar to learn more about the determination of protein and carbohydrates from that material. Original airdate March 30, 2023
What is spectroscopy? What is the difference between NIR vs. Mid IR? What are the benefits of NIR vs traditional wet chemistry? The team at Eurofins QTA answers these questions and more in this edition of our Ask An Expert blog about infrared spectroscopy.
Chemical and microbial exposure are the most common types of contamination during food processing. Understanding the sources of each type of contamination helps to effectively prevent problems before they arise. This infographic below explains various contamination sources in food, feed, and botanical products. These include residual solvents, storage issues, improper handling, and more.
Alicyclobacillus is a non-pathogenic spoilage bacteria that silently sours fruit juice products. With the ability to survive commercial pasteurization, Alicyclobacillus causes unpleasant odors in food products that make the products undesirable to consumers. Is your product at risk?
